Facebook Poll Rantings

Today I logged onto Facebook in an attempt to relax after a long day of phone calls and cranky children. One of the first things I noticed was a poll that a few people I know voted on. It was, "Should people on welfare have to be drug tested to get a check?" I was surprised to see how many people voted "yes." By no means do I support the idea of some scum bag using my tax dollars on dope, but being on welfare doesn't make you a scum bag. I know plenty of hard working, upstanding citizens who just so happen to be poor. Some of the most amazing friends I have are on welfare and they deserve every penny of it. What they don't deserve is the humiliation of having to pee in front of government employees to prove that they aren't scum. Do we not live in a country with a constitution that guarantees us certain freedoms? Is it not embarrassing enough to have to be on welfare? Isn't it enough that in order to maintain their dignity, they are forced to go grocery shopping at three in the morning so nobody sees their food stamps? I'm so exhausted of all the unfair stereotypes!

I'm sure it's easy to say yes when you have plenty of money. Maybe it's even easy to say yes when you don't respect yourself enough to care about your rights as a human being. It's not out of the question to assume that there are a few people abusing the system. But, in my opinion, you shouldn't punish those who are doing what's right, and have integrity, just to make sure you get all the bad guys. I saw enough of that nonsense in the Army.

There is a very vague point that our ever-strengthening government must be very careful not to cross. How easy it would be to force everyone to choose what's right. There's a name for that... dictatorship... soon followed by another name... communism. If you really want to live that way, I suggest moving to China. Just be sure to take an air purifier with you and wear a mask. I hear there is a lot of pollution.

Idaho Falls

It seems only fitting that one of the busiest times since we moved to Kansas is when we are likely to be moving again. That's usually how it works. Daniel will be four weeks old tomorrow, Phillip just started a new schedule, Mike is just about to get his vacation at work, and we get the phone call. "Hi Mike, I got your application... ." We are still waiting for the "final" word. The Air Traffic Manager has made it pretty obvious that she wants to hire him though, and just has to get the go-ahead. We are really excited about going to Idaho. Idaho Falls seems like a wonderful area, and I think we will enjoy it.

Daniel's Due Date

I can't believe he's three weeks old!

Yesterday was my actual due date for Daniel. So naturally we decided to turn on Wii Fit to weigh him in. You'll never guess how much he weighs... go ahead, guess... 10.1 pounds!!! That's almost three pounds more than when he was born, and additionally, it's close to what his doctors estimated he would weigh at full term. So I'm just curious, does that mean if he were born yesterday he would have weighed the same amount, or is weight gained differently after birth? Either way, he's a BIG boy!

Phillip has been cracking me up lately. He comes up with some of the silliest ways to entertain himself, like playing blues clues, or chasing our cat around the house. Oh kids!

Two weeks old!

Daniel is officially two weeks old today. The time is going by so fast it's almost scary. At his appointment yesterday, Daniel had already gained over a pound, weighing in at 8 pounds 8 ounces. He had also grown an entire inch to 20 1/2 inches tall. The nurse said he was in the 60th percentile for everything, which I think is excellent for a baby who wasn't even due until the 17th. Daniel is a wonderful son. He is so sweet and perfect. I think he and Phillip are going to be best friends! Phillip already wants to help with everything, and he tries to sneak him sippy cups and blankets when I'm not looking. It's just too funny.

I'd like to remind everyone that we have videos and pictures on our family website, web.mac.com/mikevandyke1